Every episode of the classic sci-fi/horror anthology "The Twilight Zone" begins with the introduction of some seemingly normal people, usually in the midst of a seemingly normal day. What they don't realize, of course, is that this will be the day they encounter the strange, the fantastic, and sometimes the horrifying. And just as they begin their journey, the camera pans over to a man in a respectable suit. He looks directly at the audience and explains who these people are, exactly what troubles them (or is about to), and reveals that they are about to enter — you guessed it — "The Twilight Zone."
Exactly what "The Twilight Zone" is, is never made clear. Episodes of the classic series often take place in the real world as we know it, but also sometimes in the distant future, or the distant past, or on other planets, or in the afterlife. They don't clearly connect together,...
Exactly what "The Twilight Zone" is, is never made clear. Episodes of the classic series often take place in the real world as we know it, but also sometimes in the distant future, or the distant past, or on other planets, or in the afterlife. They don't clearly connect together,...
- 9/4/2023
- by William Bibbiani
- Slash Film
Anthony Perkins' Norman Bates is one of the most famous villains in horror cinema — or is he? After all, technically it was his mother Norma who murdered Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), Arbogast (Martin Balsam), and other offscreen victims. Or rather, it was the version of his mother who lived in Norman's head. Norman may have murdered his mother years ago, but her grip on him endured post-mortem.
How fitting that a character with multiple personalities was voiced by more than one person. "Psycho" conceals this twist by featuring "mother" only as a voice. We only hear her speak to Norman and the conversations always happen offscreen. For these moments, Hitchcock took three voices, those belonging to Paul Jasmin, Virginia Gregg, and Jeanette Nolan, and mixed them together into the voice of "Mother."
All three actors were uncredited, with their names nowhere to be seen in Paul Bass's legendary title sequence.
How fitting that a character with multiple personalities was voiced by more than one person. "Psycho" conceals this twist by featuring "mother" only as a voice. We only hear her speak to Norman and the conversations always happen offscreen. For these moments, Hitchcock took three voices, those belonging to Paul Jasmin, Virginia Gregg, and Jeanette Nolan, and mixed them together into the voice of "Mother."
All three actors were uncredited, with their names nowhere to be seen in Paul Bass's legendary title sequence.
- 12/1/2022
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
What a great title to revisit — John Ford’s ‘Kabuki’ western is less about action and more about form and tradition — especially the way the truth gets plowed under in ‘the West,’ which is of course America reduced to a mythological keepsake. John Wayne, James Stewart and Lee Marvin’s characters seem to know they are playing roles that never change. We might question the values but there’s no denying that said values prevailed as the country’s consensus self-image. Paramount’s new 4K makes a great-looking movie look even better, Pilgrim — and we don’t tolerate no disloyal debates ’bout film grain North of the Picket Wire.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray
Paramount Presents
1962 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 123 min. / Street Date May 17, 2022 / Available from Amazon
Starring: John Wayne, James Stewart, Vera Miles, Lee Marvin, Edmond O’Brien, Andy Devine, Ken Murray, John Carradine, Jeanette Nolan,...
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray
Paramount Presents
1962 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 123 min. / Street Date May 17, 2022 / Available from Amazon
Starring: John Wayne, James Stewart, Vera Miles, Lee Marvin, Edmond O’Brien, Andy Devine, Ken Murray, John Carradine, Jeanette Nolan,...
- 5/14/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Something wicked this way comes to theaters on Christmas Day: Joel Coen’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth.”. The latest interpretation of Shakespeare’s 1606 Scottish play stars Oscar-winners Denzel Washington as Macbeth, a brave general who hears a prophecy from a trio of witches that he will become king, and Frances McDormand as Lady Macbeth, the general’s ambitious wife, who goads him into killing the King.
It’s the first film the Oscar-winning Coen has done without his brother Ethan. Coen directed his wife McDormand (they married in 1984) to the first of her three Oscars with 1996’s “Fargo.’ Could this film bag her a 4th?
Even though the play is considered “cursed” that hasn’t stopped directors and actors from tackling the powerful tragedy. The last screen version starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard and directed by Justin Kurzel was released in 2015. Reviews were generally good; the box office wasn’t.
It’s the first film the Oscar-winning Coen has done without his brother Ethan. Coen directed his wife McDormand (they married in 1984) to the first of her three Oscars with 1996’s “Fargo.’ Could this film bag her a 4th?
Even though the play is considered “cursed” that hasn’t stopped directors and actors from tackling the powerful tragedy. The last screen version starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard and directed by Justin Kurzel was released in 2015. Reviews were generally good; the box office wasn’t.
- 12/5/2021
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Today’s noir forecast is vice, kidnapping, murder, suicide, narcotics and a sleazy stolen baby racket! Kino’s third volume of Universal-International pix contains two seldom-screened quality urban noirs. Expect genuine dark themes in these sizable-budget location noirs filmed before Universal pulled most production back onto its one-size-fits-all backlot sets. Barbara Stanwyck dominates one show, while noir stalwarts Richard Conte and Dennis O’Keefe anchor the other two dramas, with dynamic showings by Coleen Gray, Edith Barrett, Peggy Dow, Jeanette Nolan, Meg Randall and especially Gale Storm.
Film Noir the Dark Side of Cinema III
Abandoned, The Lady Gambles, The Sleeping City
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1949-50 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 79,99,86 min. / Street Date June 9, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 34.99
Starring: Dennis O’Keefe, Gale Storm, Jeff Chandler, Meg Randall, Raymond Burr, Marjorie Rambeau, Jeanette Nolan, Mike Mazurki, Will Kuluva, David Clarke; Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Preston, Stephen McNally, Edith Barrett, John Hoyt,...
Film Noir the Dark Side of Cinema III
Abandoned, The Lady Gambles, The Sleeping City
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1949-50 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 79,99,86 min. / Street Date June 9, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 34.99
Starring: Dennis O’Keefe, Gale Storm, Jeff Chandler, Meg Randall, Raymond Burr, Marjorie Rambeau, Jeanette Nolan, Mike Mazurki, Will Kuluva, David Clarke; Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Preston, Stephen McNally, Edith Barrett, John Hoyt,...
- 6/13/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Those who grew up watching The Fox and the Hound should get ready to sob all over again. According to our sources – the same ones who revealed an Aladdin sequel was in development, and that Ewan McGregor is returning as Obi-Wan – Disney is reportedly in the early stages of developing a live-action remake of the 1981 animated classic for a new generation of fans. Though nothing has been confirmed by the studio as of yet, the film is likely to land on the Disney Plus streaming platform, from what we’re told.
For those unfamiliar with the original, the heartfelt movie featured the story of two unlikely pals trying to preserve their friendship despite their budding animal instincts and the nagging pressure from society that urged them to be enemies. The original flick subtly taught children a useful lesson about prejudice and how society often determines behavior.
The voices of Mickey Rooney,...
For those unfamiliar with the original, the heartfelt movie featured the story of two unlikely pals trying to preserve their friendship despite their budding animal instincts and the nagging pressure from society that urged them to be enemies. The original flick subtly taught children a useful lesson about prejudice and how society often determines behavior.
The voices of Mickey Rooney,...
- 8/30/2019
- by Evan Lewis
- We Got This Covered
Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame and Lee Marvin star in drum-tight and violent revenge flick, a classic from Lang’s American period
The big heat – like the big sleep – is a menacing idea, a miasma that swarms over this taut and violent 1953 crime thriller from director Fritz Lang, a classic from his American period. It stars Glenn Ford and Gloria Grahame, and this big-screen rerelease is linked to a Grahame retrospective at the BFI Southbank, London. The big heat is, of course, the force of vengeance, the blowtorch flame of justice, coming from heaven and Earth alike. For some of the people here, that big heat is what is going to come after the big sleep.
Ford plays Sgt Dave Bannion, who is investigating the suicide of a cop, who was apparently overwhelmed with shame at having taken bribes from crime nabob Mike Lagana (Alexander Scourby) and having been part of...
The big heat – like the big sleep – is a menacing idea, a miasma that swarms over this taut and violent 1953 crime thriller from director Fritz Lang, a classic from his American period. It stars Glenn Ford and Gloria Grahame, and this big-screen rerelease is linked to a Grahame retrospective at the BFI Southbank, London. The big heat is, of course, the force of vengeance, the blowtorch flame of justice, coming from heaven and Earth alike. For some of the people here, that big heat is what is going to come after the big sleep.
Ford plays Sgt Dave Bannion, who is investigating the suicide of a cop, who was apparently overwhelmed with shame at having taken bribes from crime nabob Mike Lagana (Alexander Scourby) and having been part of...
- 11/24/2017
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Turner Classic Movies continues with its Gay Hollywood presentations tonight and tomorrow morning, June 8–9. Seven movies will be shown about, featuring, directed, or produced by the following: Cole Porter, Lorenz Hart, Farley Granger, John Dall, Edmund Goulding, W. Somerset Maughan, Clifton Webb, Montgomery Clift, Raymond Burr, Charles Walters, DeWitt Bodeen, and Harriet Parsons. (One assumes that it's a mere coincidence that gay rumor subjects Cary Grant and Tyrone Power are also featured.) Night and Day (1946), which could also be considered part of TCM's homage to birthday girl Alexis Smith, who would have turned 96 today, is a Cole Porter biopic starring Cary Grant as a posh, heterosexualized version of Porter. As the warning goes, any similaries to real-life people and/or events found in Night and Day are a mere coincidence. The same goes for Words and Music (1948), a highly fictionalized version of the Richard Rodgers-Lorenz Hart musical partnership.
- 6/9/2017
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
An Encore Edition brings back Fritz Lang's searing police corruption tale, with the great performances of Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame and Lee Marvinaided by several pots of fresh, hot coffee. As is usual, Fritz Lang leads the way in modernizing a genre -- this one is a keeper. The Big Heat Blu-ray Encore Edition Twilight Time Limited Edition 1953 / B&W / 1:37 Academy / 89 min. / Ship Date February 9, 2016 / available through Twilight Time Movies / 29.95 Starring Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame, Jocelyn Brando, Alexander Scourby, Lee Marvin, Jeanette Nolan, Willis Bouchey, Robert Burton, Adam Williams, Howard Wendell, Dorothy Green, Carolyn Jones, Dan Seymour, Edith Evanson, John Crawford, John Doucette. Cinematography Charles Lang Film Editor Charles Nelson Original Music Henry Vars Written by Sydney Boehm from the book by William P. McGivern Produced by Robert Arthur Directed by Fritz Lang
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Four years after Twilight Time's initial release, this Encore Edition...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Four years after Twilight Time's initial release, this Encore Edition...
- 3/8/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
We still love John Ford's bitter-sentimental look back at the lost Myth of the West. John Wayne and James Stewart are at least thirty years too old for their roles, but everything seems to be happening in a foggy reverie, so what's the difference, Pilgrim? Great comedy and Lee Marvin's marvelous villain, plus the assertive 'print the Legend' message that's been hotly debated ever since. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance Blu-ray Warner Home Video / Paramount 1962 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 123 min. / Street Date October 13, 2015 / 14.98 Starring John Wayne, James Stewart, Vera Miles, Lee Marvin, Edmond O'Brien, Andy Devine, Ken Murray, John Carradine, Jeanette Nolan, John Qualen, Willis Bouchey, Carleton Young, Woody Strode, Denver Pyle, Strother Martin, Lee Van Cleef Cinematography William H. Clothier Production Designer Eddie Imazu & Hal Pereira Film Editor Otho Lovering Original Music Cyril J. Mockridge Writing credits James Warner Bellah & Willis Goldbeck from a story by...
- 10/20/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Besides making people forever afraid of motel-room showers, Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" continues to have an incalculable impact on popular culture. Though it was released 55 years ago this week (on June 16, 1960), it continues to inspire filmmakers and TV producers. In just the last three years, we've seen the 2012 film "Hitchcock" (based on Stephen Rebello's book "Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of 'Psycho,'" and starring Anthony Hopkins as the director and Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh) and the ongoing A&E TV prequel drama series, "Bates Motel."
Still, for all of the "Psycho" trivia revealed in "Hitchcock," the biopic barely scratches the surface of how the film got made, from the men who inspired the invention of Norman Bates, to the trickery Hitchcock used to tease the press while keeping the film's convention-shredding narrative twists a secret, to the film's unlikely connection to "Leave It to Beaver." Here,...
Still, for all of the "Psycho" trivia revealed in "Hitchcock," the biopic barely scratches the surface of how the film got made, from the men who inspired the invention of Norman Bates, to the trickery Hitchcock used to tease the press while keeping the film's convention-shredding narrative twists a secret, to the film's unlikely connection to "Leave It to Beaver." Here,...
- 6/16/2015
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
#Redcarpet MacBeth by Justin Kurzel #Cannes2015 pic.twitter.com/Lwz4dMT3Wc
— Festival de Cannes (@Festival_Cannes) May 23, 2015
Of all of William Shakespeare’s classic works, Macbeth must surely be amongst his most famous.
Certainly, in the more than 400 years since its first publication, it has been one of the most frequently adapted; revived regularly on stage and re-envisioned time and again in the age of cinema and television.
Now comes a bold and daring version starring Academy-Award nominee Michael Fassbender (12 Years A Slave) and Academy-Award winner Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose).
Directed by Justin Kurzel (Snowtown), MacBeth had its World Premiere at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival and was the final movie to screen in Competition.
In his review, Guy Lodge (Variety) praises the director’s “thrillingly elemental new adaptation. Fearsomely visceral and impeccably performed, it’s a brisk, bracing update, even as it remains exquisitely in period.”
The...
— Festival de Cannes (@Festival_Cannes) May 23, 2015
Of all of William Shakespeare’s classic works, Macbeth must surely be amongst his most famous.
Certainly, in the more than 400 years since its first publication, it has been one of the most frequently adapted; revived regularly on stage and re-envisioned time and again in the age of cinema and television.
Now comes a bold and daring version starring Academy-Award nominee Michael Fassbender (12 Years A Slave) and Academy-Award winner Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose).
Directed by Justin Kurzel (Snowtown), MacBeth had its World Premiere at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival and was the final movie to screen in Competition.
In his review, Guy Lodge (Variety) praises the director’s “thrillingly elemental new adaptation. Fearsomely visceral and impeccably performed, it’s a brisk, bracing update, even as it remains exquisitely in period.”
The...
- 5/23/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
For some of the oldsters out there they may recall the 1973 Gamble & Huff-produced R&B hit single “I’ll Always Love My Mama” by the musical group The Intruders. This musical anthem was certainly a lyrical tribute to caring mothers and how their sacrifices shaped our childhood and adulthood. This finger-snapping song definitely captured the spirit of motherly guidance.
Naturally film has had its share of depicting motherhood over the decades. In fact, mothers of all types are presented before our eyes in packages of being nurturing, notorious, nutty, naive and nonsensical. However, there is something so special about the mother-son relationship that rivals the father-daughter dynamic. We have our share of proud Mama’s boys out there roaming about in society.
In Mama’s Boy: The Top 10 Mother-Son Combos in Movies we will examine some of the big screen bonds that have been celebrated between the Mommy Dearests...
Naturally film has had its share of depicting motherhood over the decades. In fact, mothers of all types are presented before our eyes in packages of being nurturing, notorious, nutty, naive and nonsensical. However, there is something so special about the mother-son relationship that rivals the father-daughter dynamic. We have our share of proud Mama’s boys out there roaming about in society.
In Mama’s Boy: The Top 10 Mother-Son Combos in Movies we will examine some of the big screen bonds that have been celebrated between the Mommy Dearests...
- 7/7/2014
- by Frank Ochieng
- SoundOnSight
The Big Heat
Written by Sydney Boehm
Directed by Fritz Lang
USA, 1953
Opening with a bang, Fritz Lang’s The Big Heat begins with a carefully placed overhead shot of a hand claiming a small pistol resting atop a fine desk. An off-screen gun shot erupts in the soundtrack, followed by the body of a man crumpling onto the desk, lifeless. His wife (Jeanette Nolan), stunned by the event, notices an envelope on the table addressed to the district attorney, which she chooses to hide after reading its contents. It turns out the man who committed suicide was a Tom Duncan, a cop. Det. Dave Bannion (Glen Ford) is commissioned with investigating the reasons behind his former colleague’s death wish. Perplexed as to the circumstances behind the suicide, information comes to light that may suggest foul play, especially when an informant (Dorothy Green) turns up dead the next morning.
Written by Sydney Boehm
Directed by Fritz Lang
USA, 1953
Opening with a bang, Fritz Lang’s The Big Heat begins with a carefully placed overhead shot of a hand claiming a small pistol resting atop a fine desk. An off-screen gun shot erupts in the soundtrack, followed by the body of a man crumpling onto the desk, lifeless. His wife (Jeanette Nolan), stunned by the event, notices an envelope on the table addressed to the district attorney, which she chooses to hide after reading its contents. It turns out the man who committed suicide was a Tom Duncan, a cop. Det. Dave Bannion (Glen Ford) is commissioned with investigating the reasons behind his former colleague’s death wish. Perplexed as to the circumstances behind the suicide, information comes to light that may suggest foul play, especially when an informant (Dorothy Green) turns up dead the next morning.
- 1/17/2014
- by Edgar Chaput
- SoundOnSight
Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none
By Harvey F. Chartrand
Peter Gunn: The Complete Series is now available for the first time ever as a 12-dvd box set from Timeless Media Group… all 114 episodes, with a running time of over 58 hours.
Peter Gunn – created and produced by Blake Edwards – ran for three seasons – from 1958 to 1961. This classic detective show was a delightful blend of film noir and fifties cool, featuring a modern jazz score by Henry Mancini (a bonus CD of the soundtrack is included in the set), outbreaks of the old ultra-violence, a gallery of eccentric and sleazy characters (usually informants, gangsters and Beat Generation bohemians), and great acting by series leads Craig Stevens (as Gunn), Lola Albright (as his squeeze, sultry nightclub singer Edie Hart) and Herschel Bernardi (as Gunn’s friend and competitor Lieutenant Jacoby, who seems to work all by himself 24 hours a day...
By Harvey F. Chartrand
Peter Gunn: The Complete Series is now available for the first time ever as a 12-dvd box set from Timeless Media Group… all 114 episodes, with a running time of over 58 hours.
Peter Gunn – created and produced by Blake Edwards – ran for three seasons – from 1958 to 1961. This classic detective show was a delightful blend of film noir and fifties cool, featuring a modern jazz score by Henry Mancini (a bonus CD of the soundtrack is included in the set), outbreaks of the old ultra-violence, a gallery of eccentric and sleazy characters (usually informants, gangsters and Beat Generation bohemians), and great acting by series leads Craig Stevens (as Gunn), Lola Albright (as his squeeze, sultry nightclub singer Edie Hart) and Herschel Bernardi (as Gunn’s friend and competitor Lieutenant Jacoby, who seems to work all by himself 24 hours a day...
- 1/7/2013
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
The Rescuers
Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, John Lounsbery, Art Stevens
Written by Larry Clemmons, Vance Gerry, Ken Anderson, Frank Thomas, Burny Mattinson, Fred Lucky, Dick Sebast, Dave Michener
Starring Bob Newhart, Eva Gabor, Geraldine Page, Pat Buttram, George Lindsey
One of the most fascinating aspects of our podcast is watching the struggle within the Walt Disney Company to blend reality and fantasy. From the beginning, Disney had stated that he wanted movies like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to be perceived as films for adults, as opposed to films for children or families. I’m always heartened to see that comment brought up in modern conversation, because the stigma that animation is specifically for children hasn’t ever dissipated in popular culture. What frustrates me is the film Disney refers to, and how it became a template of sorts for the animators and filmmakers who work at the Walt Disney Company.
Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, John Lounsbery, Art Stevens
Written by Larry Clemmons, Vance Gerry, Ken Anderson, Frank Thomas, Burny Mattinson, Fred Lucky, Dick Sebast, Dave Michener
Starring Bob Newhart, Eva Gabor, Geraldine Page, Pat Buttram, George Lindsey
One of the most fascinating aspects of our podcast is watching the struggle within the Walt Disney Company to blend reality and fantasy. From the beginning, Disney had stated that he wanted movies like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to be perceived as films for adults, as opposed to films for children or families. I’m always heartened to see that comment brought up in modern conversation, because the stigma that animation is specifically for children hasn’t ever dissipated in popular culture. What frustrates me is the film Disney refers to, and how it became a template of sorts for the animators and filmmakers who work at the Walt Disney Company.
- 12/29/2012
- by Josh Spiegel
- SoundOnSight
Vera Farmiga has landed a leading role on A&E's upcoming Psycho prequel television series, "Bates Motel." She'll play Norma Louise Bates, the mother of Norman Bates in the small screen project, officially described as follows: "Bates Motel" gives viewers an intimate understanding of how Norman Bates' psyche developed from his childhood through his teen years. Fans will have access to the dark, twisted backstory and learn first hand how his mother, Norma, and her love damaged Norman, helped forge the most well-known serial killing motel owner in history. Norma Bates was originally voiced by Virginia Gregg, Jeanette Nolan, and Paul Jasmin in Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 original film. Gregg reprised the voice role for Psycho II and Pyscho III and in...
- 8/27/2012
- Comingsoon.net
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Sept. 18, 2012
Price: DVD $24.95, Blu-ray $29.95
Studio: Olive Films
Orson Welles brushed up on his Shakespeare when he directed and starred in a 1948 film adaptation of The Bard’s immortal drama Macbeth.
Welles’ dark and moody screen version of the classic tragedy about a presumptuous Scottish prince’s quest for power through patricide keeps with both the play’s spirit and Welles’ vision. As with his other films (Citizen Kane, The Stranger), Welles effectively mixes the use of shadow and oblique camera angles to achieve—in this case—an ominous feeling of a land in peril.
Also starring Jeanette Nolan (The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance) and Roddy McDowall, Welles’ Macbeth was originally cut to 89 minutes for its theatrical release following poor test screenings and complaints about Welles’ decision to have his cast speak in Scottish burrs. The Olive Films edition has been restored to its full 107-minute running time.
Price: DVD $24.95, Blu-ray $29.95
Studio: Olive Films
Orson Welles brushed up on his Shakespeare when he directed and starred in a 1948 film adaptation of The Bard’s immortal drama Macbeth.
Welles’ dark and moody screen version of the classic tragedy about a presumptuous Scottish prince’s quest for power through patricide keeps with both the play’s spirit and Welles’ vision. As with his other films (Citizen Kane, The Stranger), Welles effectively mixes the use of shadow and oblique camera angles to achieve—in this case—an ominous feeling of a land in peril.
Also starring Jeanette Nolan (The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance) and Roddy McDowall, Welles’ Macbeth was originally cut to 89 minutes for its theatrical release following poor test screenings and complaints about Welles’ decision to have his cast speak in Scottish burrs. The Olive Films edition has been restored to its full 107-minute running time.
- 6/28/2012
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
With the entire original run of The Twilight Zone available to watch instantly, we’re partnering with Twitch Film to cover all of the show’s 156 episodes. Are you brave enough to watch them all with us? The Twilight Zone (Episode #109): “Jess-Belle” (airdate 2/14/63) The Plot: Love is magical, even if it involves a little bestiality. The Goods: Audiences on Valentine’s Day back in 1963 must have been flipping around the channels, eager to see something romantic and sweet. Something that would remind them of their own loved ones. Something where candles were lit in anticipation. Couples flipping over to CBS got a story where a woman forces a man to love her, turns into a witch, and becomes a big cat. It’s love Rod Serling style. Jess-Belle (the legendary Anne Francis in her second Twilight Zone appearance) is pretty damned convinced that her ex-boyfriend Billy-Ben (James Best, in his third) shouldn’t be marrying his...
- 11/26/2011
- by Cole Abaius
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Sometimes, you got's to pay attention to your old lady, especially when it comes to coon hunting and hound dogs. Cuz otherwise, you might end up dead and that just ain't no good. Well, unless you got your dog with you. The Twilight Zone, Episode #84: "The Hunt" (original air date January 26, 1962) The Plot: She calls him "Old Man" and he calls her "Old Woman." They are Hyder (Arthur Hunnicutt) and Rachel (Jeanette Nolan) by given name, a loving couple, married for more than 50 years, and sharing a basic but comfortable little house in a rural area. He's determined to go coon hunting one night with his hound dog Rip, despite the old lady's superstitious fears. While hunting, Rip jumps into a...
- 10/14/2011
- Screen Anarchy
I recently polled various groups of people, including a movie-centric forum, a Facebook group of people who are fans of a local theater that screen cult favorite movies every other Saturday at midnight, my own friends, Flickcharters, and the Twitterverse. I asked, “Do you applaud at the movies?” Reply options were:
Never. Don’t be silly. Only at the end. Only if others go first. Absolutely! If there’s a great line or a badass moment, I clap!
I’ve received quite a lot of responses in all venues where I have posed the query, and I can say without question that the vast majority of respondents not only do not applaud at movies themselves, but they have an open hostility toward the stupidity of those who do. I’ve previously shared some of my favorite movie-going experiences, but conspicuously I only commented on laughing with audiences at comedies or...
Never. Don’t be silly. Only at the end. Only if others go first. Absolutely! If there’s a great line or a badass moment, I clap!
I’ve received quite a lot of responses in all venues where I have posed the query, and I can say without question that the vast majority of respondents not only do not applaud at movies themselves, but they have an open hostility toward the stupidity of those who do. I’ve previously shared some of my favorite movie-going experiences, but conspicuously I only commented on laughing with audiences at comedies or...
- 8/31/2011
- by Travis McClain
- Flickchart
Chicago – As far as kiddie tearjerkers go, “The Fox and the Hound” is one of Disney’s finest. It’s not a great film, and certainly not in the same league as the watershed game-changers that came before or the renaissance masterworks that followed. But it is a tender and bittersweet fable with a message of refreshing complexity. At its heart is a friendship that society has deemed unsustainable, and the film doesn’t shy away from its troubling repercussions.
Based on the novel by Daniel Mannix, this 1981 effort functioned as a crucial turning point in the history of Disney studios, when veteran animators like Wolfgang Reitherman were replaced by a slate of new talent including Ron Clements and John Musker (future co-directors of “The Little Mermaid”). Creative differences intensified between the old guard and the rookies, many of whom found the project to be distressingly bland. This caused the...
Based on the novel by Daniel Mannix, this 1981 effort functioned as a crucial turning point in the history of Disney studios, when veteran animators like Wolfgang Reitherman were replaced by a slate of new talent including Ron Clements and John Musker (future co-directors of “The Little Mermaid”). Creative differences intensified between the old guard and the rookies, many of whom found the project to be distressingly bland. This caused the...
- 8/12/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Most people who watch the opening segment of Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane, a faux newsreel called “News on the March,” don’t realize that it is a very precise parody of The March of Time, the innovative documentary short-subject series that played in theaters, while an equally popular radio show of the same name blanketed the airwaves. Both were narrated, in stentorian fashion, by Westbrook van Voorhis, who was imitated almost as often as the public figures whose voices were replicated on the radio series by such versatile actors as Jeanette Nolan, John McIntire, Elliot Reid and, yes, Orson Welles. Unlike…...
- 9/2/2010
- Leonard Maltin's Movie Crazy
Charles B. Pierce was a popular regional filmmaker who made his feature film debut as director, producer, and cinematographer for the 1972 docu-drama The Legend of Boggy Creek. The low-budget film dramatized the legend of a Sasquatch-like creature known as the Fouke Monster, that was reputed to terrorize the small town in Arkansas near Texarkana. Boggy Creek became a major hit on the drive-in circuit. Pierce also directed and wrote a 1985 pseudo-sequel, The Barbaric Beast of Boggy Creek, Part II, and appeared in the role of Professor Brian C. `Doc’ Lockart.
Pierce was born in Hammond, Indiana, on June 16, 1938, and moved to Hampton, Arkansas, with his family as a child. He operated an advertising agency in Texarkana, and began working in films as a set decorator in the mid-1960s. He worked on numerous film and television productions including Chuck Jones’ animated feature The Phantom Tollbooth (1970), and the films Pretty Maids All in a Row...
Pierce was born in Hammond, Indiana, on June 16, 1938, and moved to Hampton, Arkansas, with his family as a child. He operated an advertising agency in Texarkana, and began working in films as a set decorator in the mid-1960s. He worked on numerous film and television productions including Chuck Jones’ animated feature The Phantom Tollbooth (1970), and the films Pretty Maids All in a Row...
- 3/15/2010
- by Jesse
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
The second volume of The Complete Steve Canyon on TV is just out and there are 12 more episodes from the one season series based on Milton Caniff’s wonderful comic strip. As with volume one, no one other than Canyon appears from the strip and there’s precious little in recurring characters on the show.
This is a perfect example of 1950s television when the star was role model perfect and merely there to propel stories along. We learn nothing about Canyon, who has a wide network of friends and acquaintances from coast to coast. While based at Big Thunder, his adventures take him far and wide as he helps those in need or is caught up in problems that just happen to occur.
Clearly, the highlight of the two-disc set is the Christmas episode written by Ray Bradbury. On the one hand, it’s a typical holiday television story and on the other,...
This is a perfect example of 1950s television when the star was role model perfect and merely there to propel stories along. We learn nothing about Canyon, who has a wide network of friends and acquaintances from coast to coast. While based at Big Thunder, his adventures take him far and wide as he helps those in need or is caught up in problems that just happen to occur.
Clearly, the highlight of the two-disc set is the Christmas episode written by Ray Bradbury. On the one hand, it’s a typical holiday television story and on the other,...
- 6/13/2009
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
Chicago – Welcome back to the Round-Up, a safety net to catch the DVD titles that fell off the mainstream tightrope. The titles this week have virtually nothing in common other than coming in two waves from two studios - a pair of classics from Paramount’s Centennial Collection and a trio of indie films from the great Magnolia Pictures.
All five titles were released on May 19th, 2009.
“Centennial Collection #8: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”
Photo credit: Paramount Synopsis: “”This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.” Behind the camera? John Ford, a director whose name is synonymous with “Westerns.” Gathered in front of it? An ideal cast – James Stewart, John Wayne, Vera Miles and Lee Marvin. Now presented on two discs, with all-new special features, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance rides into town as classic entry in the Paramount Centennial Collection.
All five titles were released on May 19th, 2009.
“Centennial Collection #8: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”
Photo credit: Paramount Synopsis: “”This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.” Behind the camera? John Ford, a director whose name is synonymous with “Westerns.” Gathered in front of it? An ideal cast – James Stewart, John Wayne, Vera Miles and Lee Marvin. Now presented on two discs, with all-new special features, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance rides into town as classic entry in the Paramount Centennial Collection.
- 5/27/2009
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
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